Benefits of site-specific seismic hazard analyses for seismic design in New Zealand

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This paper summarizes the role site-specific seismic hazard analyses can play in seismic design and
assessment in New Zealand. The additional insights and potential improvements in the seismic design
and assessment process through a better understanding of the ground motion hazard are examined
through a comparative examination with prescriptive design guidelines. Benefits include the utilization
of state-of-the-art knowledge, improved representation of site response, reduced conservatism, and the
determination of dominant seismic source properties, among others. The paper concludes with a
discussion of these relative benefits so that the efficacy of site-specific hazard analysis for a particular
project can be better judged by the engineer.